Saturday 29 July 2006 saw the first commercial flight by Thai Airways to Thailand’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport. Flight TG 1882 carried 300 passengers from Phuket landed safely and the Airports of Thailand (AOT) announced the airport is ready for operation on 28 September, 2006 and a grand opening by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in December 2006.

Local press reported Airports of Thailand (AOT) President Chotisak Asapaviriya state “AOT will take the greatest care to ensure a smooth launch and provide world-class customer and passenger service for all travelers that come through the new airport.” With 22 test flights proving successful, there is even the possibility that the airport may be launched for limited domestic services before the official opening.

The launch of the new airport has been an apparent spur for a number of initiatives from regional airlines. Two low-cost airlines have suggested they may embark of direct flights between Langkawi in Malaysia and Bangkok from next month, while marking its second anniversary, Singaporean airline Tiger Airways has been offering S$2 (48 baht) fares to all Thai destinations it caters for with 10,000 seats up available during September. The airline also flies to Phuket, Hatyai and Krabi – some of Thailand’s chief tourist destinations and increased the number of flights on its Singapore-Krabi route to six a week.

The Asian tsunami’s legacy of fewer visitors to Phuket has now reversed with the news of more direct flights to the island to cater for increased bookings. With current flights are already fully booked, one of Denmark’s largest travel agencies announced two additional direct charter flights to Phuket per week starting November. “With the pace at which these trips to Thailand are being sold, we can already now say that our [plan] to fly … out of Aalborg to Phuket is a success,” suggested Kjeld Gadegard, Sales Director for Tjaereborg Rejser.

If you are planning your trip to Thailand, book now and make your travel arrangement as soon as possible. The number of flights to Thailand doubles in the last week of October as tourism hits its peak, giving an indication of the level of demand for both international and domestic flights.